Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s maiden press conference in London was a pleasant surprise. Flanked by his aunt Sanam Bhutto, and an ex-High Commissioner in London, Wajid Shamsul Hassan, the 19-year-old heir apparent of the Bhutto dynasty talked to the international media with such clarity and self-assurance that critics were prone to giving him full marks for his first ever solo public appearance. He may have been tutored for the crucial assignment, and a carefully drafted script may have been prepared in advance, but he was no less articulate when it came to the question and answer session and he was required to respond to a barrage of questions, some of them tricky and loaded, from the crowded media. His answers were short, precise and to the point and he did not even once fumbled for words, or repeat himself as if to proclaim that Benazir Bhutto’s teenage son had come of age. Ironically, this was in marked contrast to his performance in Naudero few days back when he was allowed only a couple of minutes to read out his speech of acceptance of nomination as the party chairman, and then his father intervened to cut short his interaction with the audience, saying ‘my son is of tender age, don’t harass him with any questions’.

Bilawal said he wants to focus on his studies at Oxford where he was reported to have taken the hostel room where his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto once lived. And he asked for ‘privacy’ during his period of studies. I did not aspire for the job, he said, but the party decided that under the circumstances it was necessary for someone with a Bhutto lineage to assume the party leadership. He asserted that ‘politics was in his blood’, even though he did not inherit the party leadership like a ‘piece of family furniture’, but accepted the decision of the party Central Executive as it was a moment of crisis and Pakistan was burning. Talking about his mother’s assassination in a philosophical vein he said, “How many Bhutto can you kill. From every house a Bhutto will come.” Acknowledging his lack of experience and political wisdom, Bilawal said, he would prepare himself carefully and gradually for the new role. Small wonder press correspondent remarked, “Bilawal’s mum would have loved to see him perform in that manner.”

Bilawal has to go a long way to qualify himself for entry into the political arena. Meanwhile, his father Asif Ali Zardari, who has also made haste to pledge total loyalty to Bhutto dynasty would act as his guardian angel and manage the party affairs on his behalf, and to a lesser degree veteran Bhutto loyalist Makhdum Amin Fahim would share his responsibility to look after the PPP’s parliamentary wing. But there are yet many a slips between the cup and the lips, -- a long haul to wait for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to actually take charge of Bhutto dynasty’s durable political empire. What may happen between now and then is highly unpredictable. How long would be the period of Bilawal’s political apprenticeship? Which way the PPP would go in the intervening phase? How would the party rank and file behave in the post-Benazir era, and respond to the interim arrangement for party leadership. And scores of other crucial variables would decide what lies in store for Bilawal when he is ready to pronounce his arrival on the scene of political action. However, one has to accredit him for making a promising start. If he can live up to his potential for cool headed maturity beyond his years that he displayed in his first interaction with the international media, he is assured of a smooth sail in his quest for acquiring the traits of leadership, and gaining experience and political wisdom as required by the job he is expected to take over.

We wish Bilawal well in his endeavour to qualify for the coveted position history has bestowed on his young shoulders. However, one cannot overlook the possibility that a good beginning so early in Bilawal’s political career and so small in comparison to the magnitude of the task he is expected to accomplish may mean nothing in the long run. True, he will have the crucial leverage to enter politics as a successor of the Bhutto dynasty, but it could be a fatal error of judgement, if he takes popular acceptability for granted only because of his lineage. No one can hope to indefinitely live on family laurels unless he proves himself worthy of the responsibility.